Mormon Musings

"We should decide now, in the light of the morning, how we will act when the darkness of night and when the storms of temptation arrive." —Howard W. Hunter, " Chapter 19: Our Commitment to God "

I do the very best I know how -- the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me won't amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten thousand angels swearing I was right would make no difference. Abraham Lincoln

Important principals may, and must be, inflexible.  Abraham Lincoln

I will do all the good I can, and all I know to do, and I will shun every evil that I know to be an evil.  You can all do that much.  I will apply my heart to wisdom, and ask the Lord to import it to me; and if I know but little, I will improve upon it, that tomorrow I may have more, and thus grow from day to day in the knowledge of the truth, as Jesus Christ grew in stature and knowledge from a babe to manhood; and if I am not now capable of judging for myself, perhaps I shall be in another year.  We are organized to progress in scale of intelligence, and the least Saint by adhering strictly to the order of God may attain to a full and complete salvation through the grace of God, by his own faithfulness . Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses  1:313

All about us we see hypocrisies as between public and private behavior, as if God had issued two sets of commandments--one for indoors and another for outdoors. Elder Neal A. Maxwell, "If Thou Endure It Well", p. 16)

We cannot go to reap our crops and worship the devil one day, and then the next go into the Tabernacle or Temple of the Lord and worship him. That is not our religion; it does not admit of this. We cannot feel justified in such conduct; but if we live our religion, the blessings of Almighty God will be with us, and he will multiply them upon our heads. Wilford Woodruff, Journal of Discourses 8:272

To me the principle of integrity is one of the greatest blessings we can possibly possess. He who proves true to himself or his brethren, to his friends, and his God, will have the evidence within him that he is accepted; he will have the confidence of his God and of his friends. It is a great and a glorious principle; it is something that gives you that assurance in your friends that you can trust your property, your life, your all in the hands of your brethren. Wilford Woodruff, Journal of Discourses 8:267

I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true.  I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have.  I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong. Abraham Lincoln

"In our culture today it seems that the traits of honesty and integrity are often lacking or absent in individuals, governments, politics, businesses, and even athletics. Unfortunately, honor, trustworthiness, and incorruptibility are traits that take a backseat to winning and aspirations of high position and/or wealth. You have the choice to be honest and ethical or not. Remember the thought 'Here Be Dragons' when you enter the realm in which choices can lead to a path of dishonesty and a lack of integrity. You have made covenants with your Heavenly Father to be honest. . . . Once lost, your integrity and reputation for honesty are very difficult to regain. Steer clear of the dragons that would take them from you." —Sharon G. Samuelson

“May the integrity of our souls have a sign that reads in bold black letters ‘NOT FOR SALE AT ANY PRICE’ so that it might be said of us, as it was of Hyrum Smith, “Blessed is my servant Hyrum Smith; for I, the Lord, love him because of the integrity of his heart” ( D&C 124:15 ). Elder Tad R. Callister -“Integrity- Foundation of a Christlike Life,”  Ensign , Feb. 2013, 55

"What then is this integrity that is such a dominating force in determining greatness?" he asked. "Integrity is a purity of mind and heart that knows no deception, no excuses, no rationalization, nor any coloring of the facts. It is an absolute honesty with one's self, with God, and with our fellow man." "Integrity is the foundation upon which character and a Christlike life are built," he said. "If there are cracks in that foundation, then it will not support the weight of other Christlike attributes that must be built upon it." Elder Tad L. Callister, BYU Devotional, Dec 6, 2011

If we live our religion, walk in the light of the Lord's countenance, day by day, so as to have fellowship with our Father and His Son Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Ghost, and with every good being in heaven and on earth, let me tell you that hell may spew and bellow, and the devils may howl, and they cannot scathe you and me any more than a few crickets.  But, to enjoy the protection of the Almighty, we have got to live our religion--to live so that we have the mind of Christ within us. Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 4:358

If I were to read, much less answer, all the attacks made upon me, this shop might as well close for any other business.  I do the very best I know how--the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end.  If the end brings me out right, what is said against me won't amount to anything.  If the end brings me out wrong, ten thousand angels swearing I was right would make no difference. Abraham Lincoln

Complete honesty is necessary for our salvation. President Brigham Young said, “If we accept salvation on the terms it is offered to us, we have got to be honest in every thought, in our reflections, in our meditations, in our private circles, in our deals, in our declarations, and in every act of our lives”  (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young [1997], 293).

Integrity (the willingness and ability to live by our beliefs and commitments) is one of the foundation stones of good character, and without good character one cannot hope to enjoy the presence of God here or in the eternities. Integrity is a state or quality of being complete, undivided, or unbroken. It is wholeness and unimpaired. It is purity and moral soundness. It is unadulterated genuineness and deep sincerity. It is courage, a human virtue of incalculable value. It is honesty, uprightness, and righteousness. Take these away and there is left but an empty shell. Integrity in man should bring inner peace, sureness of purpose, and security in action. Lack of it brings the reverse: disunity, fear, sorrow, unsureness. It would be well if all of us would take frequent inventory to see if hidden away under the rugs and in the corners of our lives there might be some vestige of hypocrisy and ugliness or error. Or could there be hidden under the blankets of personal excuse and rational...

William James, the noted American psychologist and philosopher, states: Neither the nature nor the amount of our work is accountable for the frequency and severity of our breakdowns, but their cause lies rather in those absurd feelings of hurry and having no time, in that breathlessness and tension; that anxiety . . . , that lack of inner harmony and ease. [Quoted by William Osler in A Way of Life (New York: P. B. Hoeber, 1937), p. 30]… I believe the most destructive threat of our day is not nuclear war, not famine, not economic disaster, but rather the despair, the discouragement, the despondency, the defeat caused by the discrepancy between what we believe to be right and how we live our lives. Much of the emotional and social illness of our day is caused when people think one way and act another. The turmoil inside is destructive to the Spirit and to the emotional well-being of one who tries to live without clearly defined principles, values, standards, and goals. Ardeth G. Kapp, “W...

A man is already of consequence in the world when it is know that he can be relied on, that when he says he knows a thing, he does know it---that when he says he will do a thing, he can do it, and does it. -Samuel Smiles